paid content Archives - Page 2 of 4 - Face the FACS

Hot Tips For Animating Blinks

February 21, 2025September 8, 2021 by Melinda Ozel

An exploration on the many functions of blinking and where blinks occur based on a series of compiled research. Useful for artists looking to up their game in character liveliness.

Upper Lid Raiser (AU5) Deep Dive

October 25, 2026June 27, 2021 by Melinda Ozel

Upper lid raiser (AU5): how the levator palpebrae superioris lifts the upper eyelid, widens the eyes and shows more sclera. For animators and riggers.

Colors of Sadness

February 21, 2025October 5, 2020 by Melinda Ozel

Signals of emotion are not limited to facial expressions. Changes in blood flow and skin color can also signal how we may be feeling. Here I explore the color changes from my authentic sadness reaction.

Leveraging Facial Muscle Variation

February 21, 2025September 14, 2020 by Melinda Ozel

Anatomical variation is a surprisingly ignored consideration for face tracking/facial mocap in tech and entertainment. Simplified anatomy diagrams are often accepted as universally applicable to all faces and few further questions are asked.

The reality is: FACIAL MUSCLES ARE HIGHLY VARIABLE.

Zygomaticus Major Variations & the Dimple

February 21, 2025September 7, 2020 by Melinda Ozel

Variations on a smile. Anatomy of dimples & the bifid zygomaticus major.

Frontalis Variation: Why Wrinkle Patterns Differ

March 5, 2025July 13, 2020 by Melinda Ozel

The frontalis (forehead muscle that elevates your eyebrows) does not always follow the imagery presented in anatomy diagrams.

"Melinda Ozel's resources on face anatomy, motion, and FACS are industry standard. During my time working on The Last of Us Part II (and other unannounced Playstation titles) I referred to it almost exclusively on a regular basis. The free material is great but the pay material is worth the cost."
Eric Drobile | Technical Animator

"For most people learning traditional FACS is not feasible. It requires very costly specialized degrees and years long commitment. And the half century old research with fuzzy photos was not made for artists. What Melinda has done for our industry is take the dense scientific information and streamlined it into very easy to digest entries and videos catered to artists."
Paul Liaw | Principal Character Artist

"I've been working as a Facial Blendshape Artist across film and gaming and have watched the quality of my work improve exponentially since I've had access to this wealth of knowledge that Melinda has so thoughtfully put together. Her documentation is clear, appealing, and comprehensive. If Paul Ekman is the father of FACS, Melinda has become the cool aunt."
Ioana Alexandra Pirvu | Lead Artist: Blendshapes @ Rockstar Games

"Face the FACS in my opinion is bar-none, the best resource out there for any artist and company dealing with facial animation. The way in which Melinda delivers knowledge is detailed, but fun and compelling enough to make you want to keep learning. For a topic that could have easily been boring, she inspired me to keep learning."
Giovanni Nakpil | Senior Creative 3D Evangelist @ Adobe

"If you're doing AU's (action units), this is the site you're going to need to bookmark. Melinda has gone above and beyond to create what I feel is the ultimate resource guide for AU's. Each AU explained, annotated and demonstrated with extreme clarity. You'll experience plenty of "aha!!" moments using Melinda's work as your guide!"
Frank Gravatt | Facial Modeler @ Cloud Chamber